hazelnut thin crisp cookies

I burned a pot boiling water today. I’m not joking, and, thankfully, was able to laugh when I realized what I’d done. There I was, yapping away on Skype with a friend, wondering who was grilling a steak at 10:30am. After I hung up, I looked into the bottom of my empty glass, and remembered I had been in the middle of making more Moroccan mint tea before I got on the Jetson’s version of the telephone. More specifically, I had been in the middle of boiling water—in my little copper pot. So, that’s what it smells like when water has completely evaporated in a copper pot, and said pot continues to cook at medium high heat. Apparently, my brain and attention span have been on vacation too long.

In other news, the fleas have waged complete war. If anyone has fleas looking for a holiday retreat, perhaps they’d like to book a room in a cozy house in the country? I’m on my last nerve. I spent a good portion of yesterday vacuuming more than I’ve ever in my life (and vacuuming used to be my chore as a kid!). It was a sight, I’m sure, as I walked into the house, sleeves rolled up, proclaiming “this house is mine you little bastards”, holding a vacuum in each hand. I will not go into the specifics of flea abatement, but I’m really crossing my fingers this last exterminator visit, coupled with my clean up efforts, worked. I’m not sure how much more I can bear, and my prayers to M seem to be going unanswered. I guess he’s on holiday, or just having too good a laugh to offer some divine intervention.

Before heading up to the country this last visit, I needed a mental regrouping, which means baking therapy in my world. I’m sitting on a few bags of hazelnut flour I picked up at the farmers’ market in Portland recently, and decided eleven p.m. was the perfect time to start getting creative with it. This hazelnut thin crisp cookie recipe is actually a twist on my crispy chewy walnut cookies. The method of using melted butter has become my favorite technique for making cookies. There’s no waiting for butter to soften, and I’ve adapted the recipe to use a whisk and wooden spoon, which means no fancy equipment either. If M were here, he’d gobble up these cookies in the wink of an eye. I’d no doubt shoo him away until the flea situation was fixed, which leads to me to wonder “Dear M, it’s me Jennie. Are you listening?”

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Add the flour, ground hazelnuts, baking soda and fleur de sel to a small bowl; set aside.

Add the butter and sugars to a deep bowl. Whisk to combine. Add the egg and vanilla, and whisk vigorously until light in color and a little fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the flour mixture, and stir with a wooden spoon until well-mixed and there are no visible traces of flour.

Drop scant tablespoonfuls of dough, 2 to 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets (you should be able to fit 12 on a standard-sized cookie sheet). Bake for 12 minutes, until the edges are golden and the bottoms are lightly browned. Remove the pan from the oven, and let the cookies cool on the sheet for 2 minutes. Using a spatula, transfer the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

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19 Comments

SuzyMcQ

Have you tried Borax for the flea situation? I’m guessing that you have some rugs in the house. If you sprinkle Borax liberally and then leave for a few days and then return to vacuum it all up, it may help to kill them. They eat the Borax and then explode from the inside out. That’s my favorite part! Okay, they don’t explode, but, I wish they did.

Wendy

This sounds like a very yummy recipe. Need more hazelnuts! Quick question…does fluer de sel really make a taste difference in the recipe or is it just a preference? Just curious.

On a side note, Diatomacious Earth should help with the fleas squatting on your land! Dump liberally onto any and all carpeting, bedding, stuffed areas such as chairs and sofas. As well, dump and sweep DE onto the porch, windowledges outside, and all around the house, six-10 feet diamater. DE is ground up fossils. It slices and dices as the critters walk over it. And its natural.Make sure to liberally apply to pet bedding and around the main entrances that you walk in through. Let set for a while. Days, weeks. Go back and vaccum up the stuff in the house. Then do it again. Re-apply after it rains outside. Keep this up and you should have fewer unwelcome guests. Downside; it also damages good bugs that come in contact with it. So be dilligent for a long while on the bad guys and then encourage the good ones to come back by planting flowers and flowering shrubs. You can find DE at any feed store or gardening store. People actually feed it to horses and dogs &cats to help with internal bugs. Doesn’t hurt them at all.

Blessings and continued prayers for you and your new world you find yourself in. And thanks for the Peanut Butter pie recipe! A definate winner in this home!

Tracey A

Good Morning Jennie,
Hopefully it is a bit better in Flea Town. The borax, A.K.A Mule Team, works well. I am sorry those unwanted guests keep arriving. Don’t they know about the 4 Day rule.?
Hoping the book is “hopping”, but not the fleas.
Wishing you non burned pots, dead fleas and a warm oven.
Tracey

Marla Solano

There is also something for the fleas that is called Diatamacous Earth. It is an all natural powder that you can sprinkle around and it cuts the exoskeleton of the flea. It is also very safe. You can buy it for pretty cheap. You need to sprinkle it all around outside and inside. Then vacuum it all up. Worked for me for 18 years before my dog passed. 🙁
Hope it helps, I feel your pain on the flea problem. It is a nightmare.

Siobhan Welsh

Hi Jennie,

I have been reading your blog for quite sometime and love all your recipes and have admired your strength and courage. I wanted to see if you ever sign copies of your cookbooks. My friend just recently lost her husband after a short battle with cancer and she and her twin girls are now starting on their journey that will hopefully lead to healing. Is there anyway I could send you my purchased copy of your cookbook for you to sign for my friend?

Jennifer Perillo

Siobhan,

I’d be happy to send you a bookplate, which is a sticker you can place inside the book when you give it to your friend. Send me an email at injennieskitchen@gmail.com. I’m sorry for your friend’s loss. I understand the path she is about to travel.

Stephanie

I remember as a child we had fleas really badly, thanks to our dog, and my mother was told to put a lamp in the middle of the floor with a large bowl of water below it. The bowl of water had a few drops of dish detergent like dawn in it. The fleas would jump at the light and fall I to the soapy water. It was the only thing that we found to work and relatively easy/natural. Good luck, hope they are gone soon!

Claire

Margit Van Schaick

Jennie, is there a couch or some upholstered chairs in the house where the fleas could be hiding? And the new eggs hatch sometimes even after treatment by the exterminator. Hope the problem has abated. Wishing you all the best and hope that you and the girls will enjoy the house. I raised my three daughters in small villages in Vermont, where I grew up, although they were born in Ann Arbor and Toledo. I kind of think it’s good for kids to be able to function in both urban and rural environments. Although it’s wonderful to have a permanent home, life can present unexpected, unplanned changes. I told myself that what was truly important in our many moves and changes was that we were FAMILY and as long as that was true, home was wherever we happened to be. You are brave to try new adventures as you experience your life.

Evelyn

Hi, thanks for the great recipes and I really enjoyed you’re commentary. As for the fleas, on the outside spray all sandy area with pesticide on a regular basis. You can use a pyrethrin one that is safe for you and your pets. On all floors that can be washed use ammonia, it cuts grease but also has a detrimental effect on the life cycles of fleas. Fleas breed in the sand, pets and people bring the sand and eggs in on their feet and the the cycle goes on. Anyway the above worked for me.

Rebecca

These cookies sounds delicious! Do you think if I make them and freeze the batter than take them out as needed they would still taste as good? Trying to get ahead on holiday baking and want to add in some hazelnut cookies or dessert for a mix. Thanks!

Jennifer Perillo

Rebecca,

I haven’t frozen them, but imagine it would work fine. Just make sure to “flash-freeze” the cookies first. Lay them on a parchment lined baking sheet, and place it in the freezer until the cookies are set. Then you can transfer the frozen cookies to a ziptop bag, and store them back in the freezer. You may need to adjust the baking time, too. Please let us know if you give it a try.

Marta

I’m making these for the holidays (they’re baking as I write), and they’re so lovely. The fleur de sel is such a nice surprise when you bite into them. For an added touch, I’m piping a little drizzle of melted semisweet chocolate on top. Not too much, though, so that it doesn’t overwhelm the delicate flavor. I love these! Thanks for a wonderful recipe.